Ethics & Social Media

Disclaimer- NFPA and other resource editions cited within the CFITrainer.Net site were current as of the release of the respective modules. The field of fire investigation and its guiding documents are constantly evolving and it is incumbent upon the fire investigator to remain up to date with the guidance in the current editions of the documents referenced in all modules on CFITrainer.Net, regardless of which edition was used in the writing of the module.

Program Abstract

As social media has emerged as a powerful force in
interpersonal communications, fire investigators are being confronted with new
questions about how far they can and should go when determining responsibility
for a fire. In addition, investigators may face scrutiny about their
actions and words used in social media, especially as department and corporate
policies catch up with each new innovation in how we communicate with family,
friends, and the public. Through the use of vignettes, this module presents
and discusses hot-button ethical questions in the use of social media in both
the investigative context and the professional conduct context. This
module will provide a brief introduction to social media, a framework for
ethical decision-making, discussion of how to think through and make ethical
decisions in the three vignettes, and guidance on considering the relationship
of legal to ethical in decision-making.

Although it is not required, learners may find it beneficial
to first complete the "Ethics and the Fire Investigator" CFITrainer.Net® module
before beginning this module.

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This module will discuss the techniques and strategies for conducting a proper science-based fire scene investigation and effectively presenting an investigator’s findings in court as an expert witness.

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